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Dick Vitale Is Getting Back All The Love He Gave

Cancer sucks. Plain and simple. There’s no other way to look at the disease that takes so many good people from us, oftentimes, way too soon. I’m sure you all know someone who’s had it. Those that have it share a quality that just amazes me. Not just strength and conviction, but a positivity that isn’t fake or forced. They know what lies ahead. They take it on and face each day with a determination that is fierce. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for the individual and their family and friends. Many of these people fight in private. They of course have a support base of those close to them, but it’s mainly kept to those in the inner circle.  

Imagine if you are someone recognized by millions of people. Say you’re a television analyst for college basketball and your name is Dick Vitale. “Dicky V” is a fixture in the sport on our televisions and computer screens.

In mid-October of this year, he learned he had cancer again. After beating a different form of the disease in the summer, Vitale had another battle ahead. He, himself revealed to the world, that he was diagnosed with lymphoma and the prognosis was good. Vitale said he would be able to work around doctor appointments.

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“With all that said, I consider myself very lucky,” he said in a statement released by ESPN in October. “I’ve seen firsthand the devastation that cancer can have on families, on children, and on all of our loved ones. It can bring you to your knees. It’s physically and emotionally exhausting. It robs you of so many things, including life itself for some of the most unfortunate patients. I never lose sight of that, and that’s why I feel so lucky.”

Vitale wasn’t always destined for work on television. He was a basketball coach. After a couple of years as an assistant at Rutgers, he was hired by the University of Detroit in 1973 to become its head coach. Vitale took Detroit to the 32-team NCAA tournament in 1977. The season included a 21-game winning streak and a win over the eventual champion Marquette in Milwaukee.  He coached the Pistons for a season and 12 games before being let go in 1979.

From there, the rest is history. Vitale was given an opportunity to work at a then ‘upstart’ network, ESPN. He wasn’t sure that it would work out. Vitale didn’t know anything about television and wanted to get back into coaching. He was reluctant to accept the position but his wife Lorraine told him to go have fun, so Vitale accepted on a temporary basis until another coaching job became available. He called ESPN’s first college basketball game on December 5, 1979, when DePaul beat Wisconsin 90–77. The rest is history. 

Fast forward back to the present day. I happened to be at the Gonzaga/UCLA game with my girlfriend, a UCLA alum, in Las Vegas. We were settling into our seats and the scoreboard showed the broadcast table. Dave O’Brien and yes, Dick Vitale. Fans started to clap and then the PA announcer at T-Mobile Arena asked all the fans to rise and ‘give it up for Mr. Dick Vitale!’ It was a pretty cool moment. It was one of those moments where the hair on your arm stands up. Vitale got up from his chair and acknowledged the ovation. For a moment we all forgot we were about to watch the #1 and #2 teams in the country battle it out. Since I was present for the game, I did not hear the exchange Vitale had with O’Brien. Here is their conversation from November 24, 2021, Vitale’s first broadcast since being diagnosed with cancer.

The same situation happened for Vitale last week when he did the Baylor/Villanova game from Waco, Texas. The Baylor crowd gave Vitale a standing ovation at one point, which moved Vitale to tears almost immediately.

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Vitale has been receiving well wishes, congratulations, and words of encouragement from all around the game. His dear friend, Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke about him at length following Duke’s 107-81 victory over The Citadel the night before Vitale’s game in Vegas.

“I communicate with him probably every other day, he and I are really close friends,” Krzyzewski explained.

“I’m so proud of you because you doing this shows the thousands of people who have cancer that you are going to fight it…I’m really proud of you showing that,” Coach K relayed to Vitale in a text message the other day.

Krzyzewski reminded everyone that Vitale has been an advocate for helping children fight cancer in his annual gala to raise money for the cause. “What he’s doing is God’s work,” Krzyzewski said.

Dick Vitale is also a huge supporter of the Jimmy V Foundation, but was unable to attend the games this season. Vitale says he was inspired to fight for pediatric cancer research because of his friend Jim Valvano’s ‘courageous fight.’ 

Dick Vitale: Why I'll Never Give Up Fighting Cancer With the V Foundation -  InsideHook

Dick Vitale deserves all the love. Not many are brave enough to disclose the battles we are fighting. Especially when you’re a nationally known person. Whether he realizes it or not, Vitale is setting an example, with every Tweet and appearance on television that he makes. He is an inspiration to some, a living example of how to go about this fight. Vitale is humanizing it, and he continues to show such courage. We all know how much he loves the game of basketball. We know that his words express his love for the sport, now more than ever. I’m sure that as he continues to get a chance to do what he loves, the fans will show him their adoration at every stop. 

The kindness of strangers is said to be some of the best medicine. Dick Vitale has always been a character. His catchphrases, “He’s a diaper dandy!”, “PTP’er, Prime time player” and his “All Windex Team” are as much the game as anything. Fans can’t help but root for Vitale. For a man that has given so much of himself for the fans, it only seems right that they return the favor. Boy are they ever and it’s “Awesome with a capital A!”

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Andy Masur
Andy Masurhttps://barrettmedia.com
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.

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